It's a matchup of first-time Masters 1000 finalists on Sunday when Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz takes on Casper Ruud of Norway in the men's final of the 2022 Miami Open. The 18-year-old Alcaraz aims to become the youngest Miami Open winner and the third-youngest Masters 1000 champion in history. He fought past defending champion Hubert Hurkacz on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium, winning 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-2). Ruud, 23, had a much easier time against surprise semifinalist Francisco Cerundolo, taking a 6-4, 6-1 victory that took just over 90 minutes.
First serve in the final is set for 1 p.m. ET in Miami Gardens, Fla. Caesars Sportsbook lists Alcaraz as a -300 favorite (risk $300 to win $100) in its latest 2022 Miami Open odds, while Ruud is a +240 underdog. Before you make any 2022 Miami Open picks, you need to see the 2022 Miami Open predictions and betting advice from internationally acclaimed tennis expert Sean Calvert.
Calvert is the handicapper who called Stan Wawrinka winning the 2014 Australian Open at 60-1. In the Miami Open in 2018, he did even better, correctly calling 100-1 long shot John Isner to win the title. And in 2019, Calvert took down a huge score on Dominic Thiem winning Indian Wells at 80-1. Anyone following his picks is way up.
Now, Calvert has scrutinized the latest Miami Open 2022 odds and released his coveted best bets for the Alcaraz vs. Ruud final. He's only sharing his picks and expert tennis analysis at SportsLine.
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Casper Ruud preview
The young Spaniard appears to be the more complete player, and he should aim to exploit the Norwegian's weaker back-hand. Ruud also relies heavily on his first serve against better players, while Alcaraz is very effective on his second. He won 69 percent of his second-serve points in Friday's semifinal, while Ruud won just 33 percent in his match. Alcaraz has held serve 97 percent of the time in the tournament and has been soaring up the rankings, and his all-around game should put him in position to win often as he gains top-level experience.
He has gone from 141st in the world at the start of 2021 to a current ranking of 16th and could rise as high as 11th with a win Sunday. He went 32-17 in 2021, becoming the youngest player with more than 30 wins in a season since Andrei Medvedev went 32-11 in 1992. Alcaraz won the Rio ATP 500 event in February and lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Indian Wells two weeks ago. He was the youngest quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open in more than 30 years last fall.
Ruud will be more rested after he made quick work of Cerundolo, while the Spaniard's match went more than two hours. The Norwegian is in uncharted territory, as he had been 0-3 in Masters 1000 semifinals before his win Friday. He should bring confidence from his first career win against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. The 23-year-old is the world's No. 8 player, and he has seven ATP 250 crowns in his career, but six were on clay courts. He swept through his clay events last summer, winning at Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel in succession.
Ruud advanced to the semifinals in his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals last year. To win Sunday, he will need to duplicate the success he had on his second serve against Zverev, when he won 63 percent of his second-serve points. He is the more accomplished player and has a bit more experience playing for titles. Both players will show some nerves at this level, but Ruud should have the slight edge in that department with three more years as a professional under his belt.
How to make Alcaraz vs. Ruud picks
Calvert has analyzed the Ruud vs. Alcaraz final in the 2022 Miami Open from all angles and released his advice on what picks could pay off in a huge way. He is leaning under 22.5 total games (-115), but he has two even stronger bets, including a set play that returns plus money. You need to see his picks and analysis before considering any 2022 Miami Open bets.
So who wins Alcaraz vs. Ruud in the 2022 Miami Open men's final? And what set wager could lead to a plus-money return? Visit SportsLine now to see Sean Calvert's best bets for Ruud vs. Alcaraz, all from the acclaimed expert who called John Isner winning the 2018 Miami Open at 100-1.
